Since Tom Brady took on the next chapter of his career as a color commentator for FOX Sports, Patriots fans have waited eagerly for him to be in the booth for one of New England's games. For two years now, he hasn't been close to calling one of his former team's games, but that finally changes during the 2026 season.
After the schedule was released earlier this week, only a few Patriots games immediately put fans in detective mode to determine which the retired quarterback could call.
It was eventually confirmed by NFL insider Adam Schefter that Brady would be at Gillette Stadium for their Week 9 matchup against the Packers, which initially excited fans, especially since that is the week Rob Gronkowski will officially be honored in the Patriots Hall of Fame.
However, others were quick to remind them of Brady's odd behavior with the Patriots since he retired, with perhaps the most frustrating moment being the lead-up to the Super Bowl, when he claimed he "had no skin in the game" despite the Patriots representing the AFC.
That, coupled with some other notable moments in recent memory, might make fans wish Brady wasn't in the booth this season.
Tom Brady might make it easy to wish he never calls a Patriots game again
The comments about the Super Bowl were just the latest example of what fans have called almost a betrayal from Brady, who has seemingly turned his back on the team that helped make him the greatest of all time.
Not long before that comment, he also didn't publicly support Drake Maye's campaign for league MVP, and instead chose Matthew Stafford to win, which he ultimately did.
Neither is necessarily a big deal, but it also doesn't look great to fans who feel Brady should be far more supportive of his former team, just as plenty of other commentators and analysts are on their respective networks.
But there are rumors that not only does his stance as a color commentator get in the way of that, but his partial stake in the Las Vegas Raiders is another factor that has publicly shifted his decisions, particularly regarding the Patriots. There is chatter that he's concerned about showing too much support for the Patriots and that won't look good when he's a minority owner of another team.
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Regardless, if this is the kind of mindset he'll have in the booth when calling one of their games, it might become easy for Patriots fans to wish he never calls another game.
They're set to take on a difficult schedule, and by Week 9, they might not be in the best shape if projections are accurate, so one can only imagine the kinds of things he might say, since he already had some unfavorable things to say when they were doing a lot of winning.
We'll have to hold out hope that it won't be the case, or it will certainly be an unpleasant game to listen to.
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